Appetizer Tray Using Grandma’s Silver

I’ve been thinking about rebranding my blog. A lot of thinking and rethinking. Then Kim at Curtain Queen Creates commented on the name of one of my former blogs and I went back to look at my posts there. It was like going through a closet full of old but beloved clothing. I really don’t want to throw out the old posts, so I decided to repost them here for the time being. Don’t be surprised by the various names on the photos — those are some of my older blog names.

And if there’s a name you really like, let me know. Maybe I’ll rebrand by using an old name — isn’t that the prerogative of a woman of a certain age?

Reblogged from February 20, 2013

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.IMG_7218B

Slap some baby carrots and whatever veggies you have in the house in some bowls or ramekins and add some purchased guacamole. Put them on Grandma’s silver platter (or your thrift shop treasure) and Voila! You have a healthy appetizer for the family as they wait for dinner to be ready. Or a snack if a friend drops by. There is no end to what you can do to make a party with a piece of silver.

There’s no reason not to use your silver. Every day.

GotMyReservations Coffee Thank You Sign Off

Favorites of the Week

I’m back again with a bunch of totally disconnected bits and pieces that piqued my interest this week. I hope you have as much fun as I did!

Home decor
  • While looking for wire plate stands that hold more than one plate, I discovered this gorgeous plate holder at Bed Bath and Beyond. I don’t need it, but it’s beautiful and someone among my French decor friends must have to have it to complete her look!
Click into photo for source.

Click into photo for source.

Continue reading

Summer at the Seashore

For our last summer hurrah, many of you spend Labor Day weekend at the seashore. Here in the Midwest, we call it going to the lake house.

GotMyReservations Summer at the Seashore Tablescape

You might find a few shells on our inland shores, but for this tablescape, I used my son’s collection of shells that I found in the garage with some of his other treasures. He’s thirty-six years old; I think it’s time that I considered that collection mine to use! Continue reading

Silver in the Garden and on Your Table

Our Chicago suburb has a garden walk every summer as many towns do.

We saw some beautiful flowers…

GotMyReservations Good as Gold Hybrid Tea

Good as Gold Hybrid Tea Rose

…and sat on a lovely front porch in the shade while the garden clubbers handed out cool water and cookies. Continue reading

Wedding China Tablescape

When Cuisine Kathleen posed her wedding china challenge, I thought that I didn’t have much to contribute. We have wedding pink Depression glass, but I gave away all my first wedding china years ago.

While Noritake Savannah’s floral pattern is timeless, I needed to move on from the choices I made at age twenty. My best friend from college also selected this pattern when she married, and since she hosted Thanksgivings for the masses, she now had 24 matching place settings. It was a win-win for both of us.

Since then, I’ve inherited three full sets of someone else’s china, which you have seen here many times. I own my mother-in-law’s Noritake Aberdeen, my mother’s Four Crown Claridge, and my neighbor’s Noritake Stanwyk. Yes — the Claridge looks a lot like the Savannah, because my mom loved the pattern and chose a similar one.

GotMyReservations Wedding China Collage

So that brings us to 2014 and the newest bride in our family. My niece is getting married in just three weeks and has asked me to help with her tablescaping. I am honored to be included, and was excited that she has chosen to have mixed-pattern vintage china for her tables. Her tableware will come from the caterer, but my tribute to her comes from my own vaults. Once again, a family story drives this week’s tablescape. I LOVE my family stories and hope that you do, too! Continue reading

Naturally Art Nouveau Tablescape

Got My Reservations 25 Days of Christmas 2013 Medium Button14 Days until Christmas finds me back at the table creating a new tablescape. This week, we’re linking up to Cuisine Kathleen for a tablescaping challenge.

The Challenge from Cuisine Kathleen: You must show us your inspiration picture from a magazine or internet, and then show us how you copied it.

The Inspiration: from Veranda magazine (November-December 2013) — wait for it.

Veranda magazine cover November-December 2013

Veranda magazine cover November-December 2013

No, this is not the inspiration, although I absolutely love the centerpiece with the amaryllis blossoms.

This is my inspiration — statuary with natural elements, back-grounded by wintry snow and recreated on my table as the Naturally Art Nouveau Tablescape.

Photo of statuary decorated for Christmas from Veranda magazine, November-December 2013.

Photo of statuary decorated for Christmas from Veranda magazine, November-December 2013.

When I first saw this photo, I knew that I had elements of this look to create a beautiful tablescape for Kathleen’s challenge. The inspiration photo screamed Art Nouveau, and I had just the pieces to bring the naturalistic style to life. Art Nouveau is an international philosophy of design that was very popular from 1890 to 1910. It was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants, but also in curved lines. Designers created art that was intended to  harmonize with the natural environment. Continue reading

Quoth The Raven Tablescape

For months I’d been planning to do homage to Edgar Allan Poe, the literary master of scary stuff, for my Halloween tablescape. I bought a raven statue as soon as they went on special the first time at Michael’s.  Imagine my surprise when I started seeing black birds on all the table displays at my favorite stores. I was absolutely crushed that I wasn’t original. I got over that when I realized that pretty much everyone in tablescaping land has black birds in their stash, and so with only one day to go, I set up my Quoth the Raven tablescape.

GotMyReservations - Quoth the Raven Intro

Continue reading

Pumpkin Delight Tablescape

It’s that time of year — time for the Pumpkin Delight Tablescape. I’m not all that fond of orange, but I managed to find a vision for pumpkin time that I could live with.

GotMyReservations-Pumpkin Delight Tablescape Intro

The Pumpkin Delight Tablescape adds fall elements in an eclectic mix of formal and informal tableware.

For the first time in my life, I have a dining room table and chairs that I ordered exactly the way I wanted them to be. I’ve been the lucky beneficiary of many a hand-me-down table, and for this I am grateful, but I figured that I deserved the dining room set that I wanted, not what my relatives wanted. My Amish-made oak table and chairs are crafted in Illinois and are sturdy as well as beautiful — and with all the leaves in the table it will seat twelve. Yay! Continue reading

Apple-Themed Fantasy Tablescape

It’s rare that I repeat a theme, but when Cuisine Kathleen announced her apple theme for today, I had to create a new Apple -Themed Fantasy Tablescape. Just a few weeks ago, I presented An Apple for the Teacher, and really had fun digging into my stash for apple-themed items. With the new challenge in front of me, I decided to re-invent the ‘scape using some new pieces along with some that I used the first time.

GotMyReservations -- Apple Fantasy Tablescape Intro

Continue reading

The Fish Tale Tablescape for a Thoroughly Modern Daughter

I have been collecting dishes for my daughter for years, but she didn’t have her own place, she didn’t entertain, she didn’t cook, and she didn’t want those dishes — yet.  And then she did, and the Fish Tale Tablescape swam its way into my heart. I’ll bet you have a similar tale to tell about your daughter or your mother.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Tablescape TitleIt’s not a fish tale without a story to be told that’s a little bigger than life. My story (and I’m sticking to it) is that I agreed to meet the delivery guys who were bringing my daughter’s new sofa while she was out of town on business. While I was waiting, she said that I could use the time to photograph some of the pieces she had in her own “stash” and create a tablescape or two.

She probably said yes because she felt guilty about me having to wait for the delivery truck. Whatever — I was in dish heaven because I had some new dishes to play with.

When my daughter bought her first condo, it made my heart go pitty-pat when she wanted to buy a big table with leaves that would expand to fit all of her friends and family and would last her for years. Its dark espresso finish made the perfect base for a modern tablescape.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Tablescape Intro

The table story started with the fish that she had placed smack in the center of the table. It was just begging to be the star of the show. She and a friend found it online and she actually thought it was convex rather than concave. It was her intention to hang it on the wall, but it turned into the perfect centerpiece.

She was already using the cream placemats I had found in the sale bins at HomeGoods, so I kept them on the table. I think it’s always okay to mix your whites in a tablescape, by the way. There’s a place for a perfect all-white look, but it’s not a requirement for a beautiful table.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Tablescape Place Setting 3

When I saw these Italian glass plates at World Market, I snapped up twelve of them and kept them in storage for her. I knew that she loved the milky glass (and I did text her a photo to get her approval). Then I saw the matching bowls at HomeGoods, and yes, I drove around to several different stores to get as many as I could. I ended up with eight.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Tablescape Place SettingI have been collecting the Monax white depression glass for her in the American Sweetheart pattern, but don’t have enough for a full place setting. They are pretty hard to come by without resorting to buying them on Replacements or eBay. She will have to let me know at some point if she wants more. There are enough now for her to use as side plates, and I love how their sheer glass and delicate pattern works with the very modern place setting.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Tablescape Place Setting 2

Since I was probably already skating on thin ice by rummaging through her closets — but remember, I had her approval — I did not look for her grandmother’s silver flatware set. I set the table with what she had in the drawers. Hmmm — maybe she needs a new stainless set that matches. Likewise, I didn’t find the set of twelve hotel napkins I also bought from the sale rack at HomeGoods, so there’s no fancy napkin arrangement going on here. Let’s get real; she and her friends use paper napkins that come with the takeout containers. 🙂

I grabbed her grandmother’s martini glasses because that’s what appropriate for this very modern girl’s tablescape. There’s always room for a Cosmo or two among friends!

Since I didn’t have flowers that suited this modern tablescape, I photographed without them. We went back again on the weekend for her housewarming party, and I brought her some interesting floral arrangements in Ball jars.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Centerpiece

I love how the ornamental cabbage talks to the elegant roses and sweet daisies in this arrangement. Being a smart girl, she put protection on the table for the party, but I decided to include the flowers in this fish story anyway.

GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Centerpiece 4 GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Centerpiece 3 GotMyReservations -- Fish Tale Centerpiece 2

I loved how each arrangement was a little bit different and they were striking against the white tablecloth. Wouldn’t the white tablescape be beautiful on this white background as well?

You’re probably wanting a happy ending for that cute fish, and I’ve got one for you.  It found its way over to the coffee table and it’s holding remotes instead of flowers in Ball jars. Fish are flexible that way, you know. They’ve spent a lot of time in schools and know what’s up.

Okay, I’m done playing around with my fish tale and with my daughter’s dishes — for now. There’s another ‘scape to come; I had to wait a LONG time for those delivery guys. 🙂

I’m taking a break right now for my son’s wedding, but I encourage you to visit my regular linky parties to see some lovely photos and get some creative inspiration for your tables: Let’s Dish with Cuisine Kathleen Open House Party with No Minimalist Here, Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life, and Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. I hope you’ll leave a comment today and let me know you were here!

Got my bags, got my reservations,
Spent each dime I could afford. 
Like a child in wild anticipation, 
I long to hear that, “All aboard!”

Music and lyrics by Bud Green, Les Brown and Ben Homer (1944)

 

 

 

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...